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Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic
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Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic |
Interesting examination of Khomeini's very populist and usually pragmatic style of politics. Khomeini in this analysis comes off as a surprisngly flexible thinker, more than willing to alter his theology in practice (if not always openly in theory) to work the crowds. Well worth reading as a counter to the common popular view of Khomeini as an entirely inflexible dogmatist (or a fundamentalist, a descriptor Arahamian disputes on semantic grounds).
Posted by Tamerlane at April 3, 2007 07:59 PM
Filed Under: Iran
, Islam
, Political Islam
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Comments
Flexible?
Within bounds?
Or a thirst for power?
Posted by: The Lounsbury at April 14, 2007 08:18 PM
No contradiction there - flexible because he had a thirst for power. Or if not necessarily power per se, though it was probably that too, at least a desire to shape.
The boilerplate of a fundamentalist is one committed to orthodoxy ( of whatever flavor ) and a rigid application of said orthodoxy. But Khomeini's theology was anything but orthodox for his time ( it is becoming more so as his legacy ) and he was always willing to play the populist, as with his pandering with 'May Day' celebrations and the like in the early regime. He always had an argument handy to justify his right-turns theologically, but some come off as a tad tortured. It seems more that he tended to adapt on the fly to what seemed ( to him ) to work.
Posted by: Tamerlane at April 18, 2007 07:57 PM
